Blood and Fury
by SofiNC
Summary: "I control the thing that keeps us apart, the only thing that matters in this world. Blood."
1. Chapter 1

The fire is everywhere.

I'm trying to run, trying to get to my family but I can't, I'm too weak to free myself from the hands that are holding me back, I can only watch as the flames destroy the only home I have ever known, with the people I love inside.

I beg the men that imprison me to let me go but they dont even spare me a glance.

"Zayra!"

"Mom!" I cry out.

 _Why am I not in there? Why do they let me live?_

 _I keep trying to reach them but it's useless. Nothing I do is enough to set me free._

 _"Zayra."_

 _Her voice is losing strength with every passing second._

 _"Mom!"_

 _Tears cloud my eyes as my wails pierce the night sky. Everything hurts so much I can't keep standing anymore, I tremble to my knees._

 _"Please let me go, please!" I shriek._

 _But none of them move and therefore neither do I._

 _"Zayra."_

 _My body shakes violently as I scream over and over until my throat hurts so much it is unable to make another sound._

 _The minutes pass but she doesnt call my name again._

 _No!_

 _I go numb, everything is suddenly in slow motion and all I can see is my world burn._

 _The tears that once covered my eyes are gone and the only emotion I allow myself to feel takes over my mind._

 _My fists clench._

 _It's not despair or agony, its something much more deeper that makes its way to every single one of my bones and makes my heart become as hard as stone. It's something that makes me put to purpose the curse I promised myself I would never use again._

 _I close my eyes and for the first time in a long time I let myself go, greater and more powerful than ever before._

 _It's only then that I feel everyone around me. The familiar tingle in my fingers, the streams and rivers that flow through their bodies, the beat of their hearts, they are going so fast. I make them go even faster. I force the fingers that are closed on my arms to open and I get on my feet. I feel them move to grab me but I stop them immediately. Their filthy hands will never touch me again._

 _I take a few steps towards what was once my home and search for the warm pulse that would tell me someone survived, but there's nothing. They are all dead._

 _I turn around and face the men that did this. I look into each of their faces and to my satisfaction I see fear in every one. Who wouldnt be afraid? They cant move even though I'm sure they are fighting with everything they've got to do so. I have even accelerated their hearts to such an extent that they can barely breathe._

 _To not be afraid of this would be impossible._

 _I make them kneel before me, force them to look at me._

 _I want them to know who's doing this. I want them to know that they should have killed me with the rest of my family because now Im going to kill them._

 _I put my hand up. Fist still clenched._

 _Now I know what this feeling is._

 _Its wrath._

 _I open my hand and just like that, every current that once lived dies._


	2. Chapter 2

**Zayra**

I wake up screaming.

My breathing is erratic and I'm covered in sweat. My eyes shoot in every direction, looking for the fire and the faces of the murderers but I only see stonewalls. Relief washes over my body as I cover my face with my hands and take deep breaths.

It has been five years. Five years of nightmares that come almost every night and that I can't take my mind off during the day. I clutch the butterfly that hangs in my neck. It was my mother's favorite necklace and the only thing that survived the fire.

I should have gotten rid of it. I know that. Grandfather always scolded my mother for wearing it on the streets. He said silent stone was never something to be worn around silvers. She always ignored him, preferring to risk execution rather than living without an advantage.

She and grandfather explained to me what it was when they realized I was special, like him. When I still couldn't control my power they even borrowed me the necklace a couple of times to make the pulse stop and give me a few hours of peace.

Now, I carry it as a shield. It stops others from hurting me and me from hurting them.

When I'm around silvers I put it on my ankle, as far away from them as possible but its still a risk. If they found out I have it they would kill me for sure, a whisper would get inside my head to find out where I got it from, he would find out my secret and then tear me apart from the inside out.

I say he because every time I think about a whisper the cousin of the queen comes to my mind.

Samson Merandus.

I've seen his fights in the arena, he is brutal. He always makes sure blood is spilled and shows no remorse when he delivers the final stroke.

 _Just like Bones._

I can't breathe, my heart feels heavy with the memory of the man that left so many scars on my back.

 _Stop. Thinking._

I shake my head and close my eyes.

I can't go back to sleep, remembering Bones leaves a sour taste in my mouth. I let out a sigh and decide I'm going to take a shower and start the preparations for today. I get up from my bed and take the trunk that's under it.

I don't have much inside, casual clothes, a pair of underwear, the uniform I was given when I got the job and a brown wig. I take everything except the casual clothes and then close the trunk.

I turn around and see Lisa still sound asleep even after my not so silent waking. I chuckle and make my way to the showers. She is the heaviest sleeper I have ever seen, the castle could be under attack and she would be unbothered by it.

If it wasn't for me waking her up every morning she would have lost her job a long time ago.

I get to the showers, we try to keep it as presentable as possible for our own sakes but there's not much we can do. The floor is cracked, the mirrors are dirty and the only thing that separates the six available showers from each other are walls that reach the middle of my breast, needless to say that there is no privacy here, hence the reason why I shower while everyone's sleeping.

I put my uniform in front of one of the mirrors and take off the clothes I slept in. I turn on the water and I'm not surprised it comes out cold. Very few are the times that silvers actually bother to gives us some heat down here.

While I wash the sweat off my body I think about the night that's coming. Today is the birthday of the eldest prince, so everything is expected to go as the organizers planned it. Anything out of place would cost one of us our lives. On normal days I cleaned the castle, nobody paid any attention to me but on special occasions like this one I had to help the servers with their duties. I didn't like it but it was something I had to do for the good of Lisa.

I finish showering and dry my hair with a towel.

I put on the underwear and my uniform. A bright red suit, black fitted shirt and to my misfortune heels of the same dark color.

Before my arrival to the castle I had never worn heels and even after two years of practice I'm still an idiot walking in them. I couldn't understand why they were part of the uniform, they wanted us to be efficient and fast but they made us wear these big ass mortal traps.

 _Stupid._

I take the necklace and wrap it around my ankle. Then I take my hair and put it in a bun. I make a ponytail on the wig and put it on as best as I can. I couldn't find one of my size, this one was a little bit bigger than my head so I had to be careful, any sudden movements and the wig would come off.

I leave the towel in one of the baskets, take my clothes and go back to my room.

When I enter Lisa's head is hanging from the side of the bed with her mouth open. The poor thing is going to have a sore neck.

I make my bed, leave my clothes on top of it and approach Lisa's side.

I kneel down besides her and get near her ear.

"Lisa it's time to wake up," I say.

She doesn't even move.

"Lisa, wake up," I say a little louder.

Nothing.

"Lisa!"

"Ah!"

Her head shoots up as she screams and hits mine.

"Augh, Lisa what the…ow!" The wig is twisted now. I put it back where I think is its place and massage the place she hit.

"I'm sorry Zayra," she says massaging her head too. "It's just I was alone in the middle of the street but then people started chasing and surrounding me and screaming my name and I was so scared." Her voice breaks in the last part and I can see she's about to cry.

"It's all right, it wasn't real. You're safe." I put my arms around her and hold her tight.

Lisa has a phobia of being in too crowded places. That's why I volunteered to take her place whenever there was an occasion like the one today. She came here a month after I did, scared and alone, I wasn't going to stand and watch her fall.

I asked her once about it but there was so much pain in her eyes that I told her to forget I ever mentioned it.

I wait until she stops hugging me to pull back.

"Better?"

She nods and I get on my feet. I help her get out of bed and get her things for her.

"Go take a shower, I'll wait for you here."

She nods again, takes her things and leaves.

Today is going to be a long day.

Everyone is moving to their positions before everything begins when I hear someone call my name.

"Zayra!"

I turn around and see Peter walking quickly towards me with a bottle of wine in his hand. It looks different from the rest I saw earlier.

"What's wrong Peter?"

"You have to be the one to give the wine at the big table."

I paralyze for a second.

"What? Why? What happened to Jackson?"

"He was too sick to get out off bed."

I can't be at that table. I can't be at that table.

"Find someone else!"

"Theres no one. Everyone else already has something to do."

"Please don't make me do this."

"I'm sorry." He says with guilt as he gives me the bottle of wine and leaves in the same direction he came.

Suddenly my body disconnects from the world, I sense people moving around me but I can't focus on anything anymore. I have trouble breathing.

Elara Merandus, the whisper queen, the one that's always entering her maid's minds and will probably enter mine too just for fun. She will see everything. I'm as good as dead.

Someone is speaking to me I think but I just can't come out of this state of detachment that's over me.

It is until they shake my body that I gain some of my composure back.

I look up to whomever is that is talking to me. It's a woman, I can't hear what shes saying but I think shes asking if Im okay.

A few seconds pass and sound starts to come back.

"Are you okay? Hello? Can you hear me?"

"Yes," I whisper

"You have to get to your position."

"I…I cant."

"You must," she says in a severe way.

I don't know what she sees in my eyes, but it makes her gaze soften.

"Okay, breathe. I'll help you get there just tell me who you're serving and I'll guide you."

I show her the wine. She nods, puts one hand on my back and takes me behind the royal table. We stop a few paces behind the king's chair.

My senses are back to normal now but this hollow feeling that has settled inside of me won't leave.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes."

She doesn't seem too convinced by my answer but doesnt push it.

"Just remember to keep their glasses full at all times."

I nod and right when she is about to leave I stop her.

"Thank you, umm, I'm sorry I don't know your name."

She smiles at me.

"Ann. Ann Walsh."


	3. Chapter 3

**Cal**

Every year it had been the same. Every time I'm about to take a bite of my meal someone comes to congratulate me and leave their gift.

I thank them for the gifts, of course, and make small talk with them but the girls are the ones I just can't stand. They come flirt with me and try to lure me into inviting them to dance. I won't do it, everyone knows that at this point if I danced with any of them it would mean that I favored them and that is not the case.

This would be more bearable if I was sitting next to Maven but he's at the other side of the table, by his mother's side.

When everyone in the room finishes with their congratulating tour I can finally eat in peace.

Father hasn't stopped drinking since he gave his speech thanking everyone for celebrating my birthday and since he finished speaking the high houses haven't stopped looking at me as if I was a prize they are eager to win.

 _Thats what you are to them, a thing that will give them more power._

I chew a bit more harshly than necessary at that thought.

 _Queenstrial._

It will take place in a couple of months. Father will choose one of the girls in this room to be my wife, to be my queen.

I don't have a say in it, I never did. I had hoped I would forget about that subject for at least one night after thinking about it so much this past weeks. Maybe that is the problem, I think too much. I just need something that stops that. Something like the thing father is drinking.

"My son."

Speaking of the king.

"Father."

"You don't look like you're having fun." He says tilting his cup in my direction, some of the remaining liquid inside staining the table as he does so.

"To be honest with you I think I'm going to call it a night."

"Nonsense, the celebration has just begun."

"I'm not feeling well."

"Cal, you can't leave your own party."

"This is not a party." My voice comes out in a growl only he can hear. "This is the houses competing to see who got me the best gift and showing off their daughters for me to watch. They don't care about me, all they care about is the crown and which one of them is going to get it."

My words float in the air and we look at each other for a long tense moment.

 _It's not his fault._

"Forgive me, I shouldn't have spoken to you like that."

He sighs deeply and gives me a look full of understanding. I sometimes forget that he almost had a Queenstrial of his own. He must have felt the same way I feel now.

"Go." He says as he nods.

I murmur a thank you and turn my head slightly to have the server on my peripheral vision.

"Red girl."

She takes a step forward. Her hair is brown, nothing anyone would consider special.

"Bring a fresh bottle of wine to my room as soon as I walk out the door."

I don't wait for confirmation from her part.

I stand and everyone around me does the same, I walk to the door and on the way thank everyone for coming. As soon as I'm at the corridor I hurry to my room, I don't want anyone coming out and striking conversation with me.

I open the door and close it behind me, a heavy sigh leaving my mouth as I do.

The room is quiet. I need that drink now.

I walk from one corner of the room to the other, again and again.

I don't know why Queenstrial is suddenly affecting me this much. It wasn't something father announced last week. I had always known it would happen. Maybe, before, it was just a far away event that wasn't worth my attention but now with it so close the pressure of it is too real to handle.

My thoughts are interrupted when I hear three taps coming from the door. I pretendI'm focused on the papers I have on my desk.

"Come in."

I hear the door open and close, steps are approaching when something crashes to the ground and breaks.

I turn around and see the bottle of wine shattered on the ground with…hair on top? Is that a wig?

My gaze falls on the servant that dropped it. For a second I forget how to breathe and my annoyance washes away immediately.

Everything disappears. All I can see is the girl that's on the floor watching me.

Her hair was never brown, its a cascade of fiery red that falls perfectly to one side of her face, wild and graceful at the same time. Her skin is fair with lips that are full and of a light shade of pink that resembles the color of rose petals. I would have kept staring at them if wasn't for those melted gold eyes that were looking at me in an indescribable way, inviting me to come closer, to discover the wonders they hide behind, wonders that now I realize are clouded with tears.

I didn't know I had knelt down in front of her or that I could feel her soft breath on my skin, not until my hand reached out and wiped away the sole tear that had escaped her eyes.

I couldn't stop myself from being completely captivated by her, I didn't wanted to stop. She is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.

The distance between us suddenly felt unbearable and I found myself with the need to make it nonexistent, to feel and taste those lips that had taken my breath away.

I was about to do it when a slight pain in my knees stopped me. It broke the spell I was on and allowed my eyes to flickered downwards and become aware of what was going on.

I was on top of glass, my clothes were covered in wine and her hands were bleeding…red!

I get up so fast I almost fall, my back collides with the desk and I feel a striking pain, I'm sure there is going to be a bruise tomorrow. She came to her feet as well and put her hands behind her back, her face was full of confusion and fear. It somehow made me sick that I was provoking these emotions on her.

Who are you?

Is what I wanted to ask but the words that I heard myself saying are…

"Get out!"

As soon as I said that she ran to the door and left. I couldn't move or make a sound, I could only stand still as a whirlwind of emotions hit me in the deepest part of my soul.

I felt empty but at the same time whole. I was relieved that she was gone but disappointed of that same fact.

I violently shake my head. _What's happening to me?_

I bury this conflicting feelings were they won't come out anymore. I'm suddenly very tired and only want to leave this day behind.

No one saw anything, it never happened. Just forget it.

I go to close the door but on my way I step on something. I thought it was glass at first but when I move my foot it turns out to be a necklace. A butterfly. My heart rate races once more and the feelings I just buried resurface.

She must have dropped it when she fell.

A part of me wants to kick it, burn it right now and leave nothing but ashes behind but another part, the part that almost…kissed her, wants me to pick it up. I debate for a while what to do until I let the latter win and take it but this only deepens my confusion.

I feel the familiar weight of silence in it. It can't be. I try to invoke a flame in my palm but it's impossible, my suspicion ends up being true. It's silent stone. Not enough to leave me useless but enough to disarm one of my hands.

How did she find this? No red knows about silent stone, how does a servant…

I realize something.

No red knows about silent stone, which means a silver gave it to her but for what purpose?

With every second more doubts get inside my head but only one rises above the others.

Who is she?

I have to know the truth behind this.

I decide not to tell father, I wont bother him with this, not until I'm certain its something bigger.

My duty is clear.

I have to find out what she's planning, for the good of Norta.

 **Zayra**

I have been on guard all week, the night of the…incident I couldn't sleep. I waited for the guards to take me to the dungeons or to face the kings justice but no one ever came. The necklace came loose in that room, I'm sure of it but I didn't notice since I was so concerned of covering the blood that was dripping from my hands.

The power I posses came afloat right after I fell, the pain combined with the confusing feelings I was experiencing at that moment made me lose some of my control over it and before I realized it the blood was floating in the middle of the air.

Everyone was busy cleaning upstairs so nobody knew I stole some bandages from the first aid kit and cleaned the wounds. In the morning Lisa asked me what happened but Icouldn't have her worried about me, not when she was coughing every time she spoke and had a fever.

Damn you Jackson.

Apparently he didn't realize that what he had was contagious, so now half of the castles staff was contaminated and the other half of us were taking extra work and covering the disease so no one would get fired.

Silvers don't pay attention to us unless we screw up something so everything was good so far, though not as good for me. It was my units work to clean the royal bedrooms this week, normally this was the relaxing week but with Cassandra and Sam sick I had to do it all by myself. It didn't help that my hands were still hurting from the glass. They made me slow and slow was not something I could afford.

I started my day really early with the rooms of the king and queen and then went to the room of the youngest prince. It was easy to do since there wasn't much to clean.

My feet stopped in front of the last room. It was 9:40, silver training ended at 10:00. I had to hurry. I had to go take care of Lisa but my feet wouldn't move.

Deep breaths Zayra. You go in, do what you've always done and come out. Simple.

As soon as I opened the door I knew my plan had gone to shit.

I couldn't stop staring at the spot were I fell. There was no stain, no glass and no wig.

Rest in peace wig.

It was clean but I couldn't stop thinking about what almost happened there.

His hand resting on my cheek, my eyes lost in his, his lips so close to mine I could almost taste them…

No. It wasn't real. Those were hallucinations caused by the extreme stress I was in. Do your job and move on.

I take off my heels and leave them besides the entrance, I force myself to walk past that point and go inside the bathroom. I work as quickly as my wounded hands allow me and when I'm done with it I go back to the bedroom and start picking up clothes from the floor but I get distracted with the smell. They smelled like smoke and chocolate.

Stop, just move on from the clothes and pick them up later. Go do the bed.

I left the clothes were I found them and started to do the bed but the same thing happened.

Do something. Anything!

And I tried but everything I did reminded me of the prince that slept here. It reminded me of his face and the way his presence made anyone in a room stare in awe, and it made me wonder what was behind that.

What was he really like?

I had been in this room a million times, seen the same things and done everything the same way but something had changed and Icouldn't understand what it was. I moved around the room, observing it for the first time.

I looked up at the armor covered walls and they didn't feel like chunks of useless metal anymore. They felt like stories waiting to be told, some of hard trainings and others of glorious battles but each and every one unique in its own way. Books covered the room entirely, I had moved some a couple of times to make room for my equipment but I had never opened any of them until now. All of them were quite different but they had one thing in common.

War.

Maps that showed the best routes into the enemy territories, tales about old defeats and new victories, maneuvers and tactics detailing the distribution of troops and so many more. One in particular caught my eye. It was about weapons but it wasn't the book itself that had my attention. It was the notes the prince had left inside.

He had written ways of making them more efficient and on some pages had ideas of completely new ones, with sketches detailing the machinery inside them and what their purpose was.

He likes to build things.

I don't know why this knowledge made my lips curl up, but as soon as they did doubt got inside my head.

Why did he just concentrate on war? Why not create something that made life better for everyone instead of weapons that took it away?

My fingers were going over his handwriting when I remembered the way his hand wiped away my tears. How that simple touch melted my sorrow away.

I had told myself over and over again that it wasn't real, but how could it not be real when I could still feel his skin against mine?

I could always feel everyone around me, the warmth of the blood passing through their veins and the sound of their hearts beating in their chests. I had grown used to feeling that warmness but his touch was something completely different. It felt like his ability, like fire, alive and burning, ready to engulf me at any given moment and I didn't know why I felt attracted to it. I hate burners, I hate them, I shouldn't be…

My pulse suddenly becomes stronger, warmer. Not even a second later I hear it. A heart beat.

It's not mine.

I'm not alone in the room anymore.


	4. Chapter 4

**Zayra**

I dont have to look to know who it is.

 _You should have worked faster._

I slowly put the book down and distance myself from the desk. I turn my gaze to the floor and turn around.

"Your highness," I say with a bow.

I can feel his stare on me but I dont dare look up.

His steps echo in the room and so does the sound of the door closing. My heart is going faster than it has ever gone before, a mix of excitement and uneasiness.

He comes closer. Bringing a heat that warms my skin and then stops.

"I have questions for you." He says with a stern voice.

My eyes shoot up. He is wearing one of his training armors with his hands behind his back and an inscrutable look in his face, nothing like the last time I saw him and yet still as breath taking. I force my heart to slow down.

 _This is an interrogation, nothing else._

"I remind you that lying to royalty is considered treason and is punishable by death."

A long pause follows his words.

I thought I would look down or flinch at the threat but I didnt react at all.

His look hardens.

"What is your name?"

"Zayra Lowell." My voice comes out small and trembling.

"What is your position in this castle?"

He starts taking slow paces around me, like an animal waiting for the right moment to jump on its prey, an intimidation technique and a good one for that matter.

"Im part of the cleaning personnel."

My hands fidget and I feel his eyes burning in my back.

"Why were you a server at the banquet then?"

"The person with that post became unavailable and I had to replace him."

"Unavailable how?"

"He fell down the stairs and injured his foot." I say with out missing a beat.

 _I just lied to the future king of Norta._

He doesn't notice though. The questions that follow are fast, I answer with the same speed.

"How long have you been working here?"

"A year."

"Your date of birth?"

"September 18"

"Of what year?"

"300 of the New Era."

"Place of birth?"

"Citadel."

He stops.

"You were born in Piedmont?"

"Yes."

His expression doesn't change but his heartbeat does, it's faster, that's not a good sign. I wish I could have lied about this, it wasn't common for reds to move from one country to another but my lie would have been quickly uncovered the minute he looked in the Nortan database and didn't find me there.

"When did you move?"

"Three years ago."

"Did you come alone?"

The question makes me flinch. I dont like where this is going.

"Yes."

"Why?"

Something is slowly starting to burn up in my chest, I know the feeling all too well. Boness teachings appear in my head as the heat intesifies.

Study. Locate. Bend.

 _Study your enemy. Locate their weakness. Bend them to your will._

My ability starts enacting those teachings as if it was an instinct and not a command I should give. Keeping it from starting the search takes all of my concentration, I cant stop the bitter words that come out of my mouth.

"Why did you have to ask such a stupid question?"

His eyes widen for a moment before turning into daggers. Open palms are replaced with fists and he takes a step closer.

His expression is calm but I see how tense his body is. Nobody speaks back to the prince, not even silvers of the highest ranks dare.

I try to apologize but I fear that if I opened my mouth words filled with venom would come out, so I say nothing.

He takes another step forward and I am forced to take one back. The heat that emanates from him is no longer gentle. It has turned lethal.

"Last chance. Answer the question."

My head is fighting right now. The rational part of my brain is telling me to just answer the damn question and get out of here, but a little dark whisper is telling me to refuse. It wants me to die.

 _At least like this it will be quick. It will be the way you were supposed to go in the first place. You will be with them, dont you want that?_

I do.

 _Then you know what you have to do._

"Go to hell."

One second, thats all it takes for me to register what I just did and regret it.

Everything happens so fast, he comes dangerously close and I try to stay away from him but my back hits the desk. I run to one side but his arm is expecting me, it blocks the way. There is nowhere else to run. I try to push him in a last attempt to get an opening but he takes my hands in his and that's when the torture starts.

"Why are you here?!"

I am paralyzed with agonizing pain. The pulse is begging for me to take control, it wants to rip him to shreds but I cant let it, I wont let it.

"For who do you work?!"

I can feel him scorching my hands beyond repair, down to the bone. I can smell the burning flesh as the fire he has started on my skin moves up to my arms and I cant stand it anymore. I scream.

Memories that I had forgotten start to dance in my mind as if giving me one last happy moment before the end, but it only makes the pain a thousand times worse.

 _Dad is fixing the roof of our house with me beside him as his assistant._

I feel my body hitting the ground.

 _Grandfather is telling Meira and I bedtime stories by the light of the moon._

The memories are attacking me and I cant make them go away. Why dont they just go away?

 _Mom and I are playing hide and seek. There is my little flower, she says when she finds me, and she takes me in her arms and leaves a kiss on my cheek making me giggle._

I feel the tears stinging my eyes and this time I let them fall. I let the sobs shake my body and let my heart break in a million pieces.

 _Meira coming home with a radiant smile plastered on her face after Danika, the girl she had loved her entire life, confessed her love for her._

The pain my body is experiencing is nothing compared to the devastating misery that has settled inside of me.

 _Dad carrying me on his shoulders, grandfather hugging me tightly, mom giving me a goodnights kiss, Meira tousling my hair lightly._

I see their faces in front of me, smiling, laughing. Everything we ever did together.

We were happy, even with our circumstances and the color of our blood, we were truly happy. I havent felt that kind of joy since they were alive. Im in a world of darkness thats eating away a piece of my soul every day and all I can do is watch until I become darkness myself.

 _I should be dead too._

Then something touches me and my mind clears. The memories fade taking every other bad thought with them and I feel a soothing energy that travels through my hands and my arms. A moment later the touch disappears and thats when I open my eyes.

There is no pain.

It takes me a few seconds to focus but when I do I cant believe what Im seeing. My hands are perfect. There are no burns or cuts, nothing. I dont understand.

Someone takes my chin and makes me look up.

It's a man.

"Sleep," he says in a beautiful melodious voice. Like if he was singing.

I cant resist, I do what he commands.

I close my eyes once again and let the waves of unconsciousness take me to a dreamless sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**Cal**

 _What have I done?_

She's sleeping in my bed and I can't stop looking at her, why can't I stop looking at her? Why am I noticing the way her chest moves up and down with every breath she takes and why am I relieved of that movement?

I burned her. I hurt her and I shouldn't feel anything about it but I do. I am disgusted with myself for what I did and I don't now why.

"You have a schedule Cal, you should follow it," Uncle Julian says from the chair of my desk.

Sara Skonos left the moment she was done healing her but he remained behind. He had sat down while I carried her and got rid of the burned jacket. He didn't move or make a sound afterwards, not even when I pulled another chair and sat by her side.

"Cal?"

"Aren't you going to ask me what happened?"

"That depends, are you going to tell me if I do?"

I finally look at him. He is relaxed with a calm expression on his face, as he always is. I had always found the moments I shared with him like a breeze of fresh air. He wasn't like the others, he didn't expect or wanted anything from me, I could be who I was around him without having the worry of acting like the perfect prince. Somehow deep down I knew he would keep whatever I told him to himself.

I heave out a sigh.

"I was interrogating her." I stand up and approach the first drawer on my desk, the one I keep under key. I open it and throw the necklace in his direction. "Because of that."

I return to my sit while he inspections with curiosity the well-carved butterfly.

"It's silent stone."

I nod. He raises his head and looks at her with a slight tingle of fascination painted on his face.

"Are you sure its hers?"

"Yes."

The room submerges into silence for a long time until Julian breaks it.

"Interesting."

I can feel my eyebrows rise in surprise at the comment.

"Interesting? You think that a red carrying silent stone is interesting?"

"Yes." He turns to me. "Don't you?"

I open my mouth to deny it but I close it without saying anything. I do think it's interesting, but above all it is alarming.

"I think it's dangerous."

Julians lips curl up.

"Of course it is, that's what makes it interesting."

The look in his eyes makes me wonder if he has already caught up with my theory.

"You already know what I think she is," I say.

Julians gaze rests once more on the girl.

 _Zayra._

"You think she is a spy."

"Don't you?" I say imitating the tone he used on me.

"It is a possibility but it is also a possibility that she doesn't even know what this necklace is made off."

"The necklace is not the only thing that makes me believe this theory."

"Oh?"

"The cleaning staff doesnt have any duties during banquets but she was there serving the wine in my table. That's the closest any red gets to be to the royal family. When I asked her about it she lied…"

"There is a flu epidemic in the servants hall," he interrupts.

 _What?!_

"What?!"

"Half of the staff is sick," he says unconcerned.

I wait for him to tell me its a joke but he doesn't open his mouth again.

"Why haven't we been notified about this?" There is a clear pinch of anger in my voice. They could spread the disease in the castle and they decided it was better to not tell anyone, who do they think they are?

"They knew that they would have been dismissed. Leaving them on the streets without a job."

"That is…" I shut up. He is right, again. The people showing signs of illness would have been removed and replaced in no more than two days, but how did he found out?

"And how do you know about this?"

He chuckles.

"Unlike most of the people that live in this castle, I do notice when half of the staff is missing."

My gaze hardens. I'm not mad at him for stating the obvious, I'm mad at myself. If he hadn't said anything I would have been oblivious to the fact that we were understaffed and that people were sick. I don't know what's happening under my own roof and I should, maybe I can do something to help…

"She was protecting her friends, Cal. You can't blame her for being loyal."

My train of thought is lost, thanks Julian, but for the first time in this conversation he's wrong. I don't blame her. Loyalty is a rare thing that I see less and less everyday, it is a thing I don't condemn.

"I don't but there are more things that do not make sense." I close my eyes for a moment. "She said she came from Piedmont."

"So? You know how things are down there."

"Yes but why not go to Prairie or Tiraxes? Why would she come to a country torn with war?"

He stays quiet for a minute.

"You don't know what happened to her before she came."

What he is saying may actually make sense.

I remember the way her entire demeanor changed after I asked why she came alone, her eyes darkened and her body shifted into a defensive position as if she was getting ready to attack. That was something that caught my eye but what made my blood boil was the way she spoke to me. Like if I was nothing but a nuisance that wasn't worth her time. A stupid boy asking stupid questions.

"Why are you defending her?" I ask in an aggressive way.

I always calculated before acting. Every decision and movement I make had been thought over so in the end I would get the result I wanted, but with her I could not think. Not thinking is what made me lose control, I can't allow that to happen again, I can't allow her to provoke this things on me.

"I am not defending her, Cal. I am just making sure that you don't kill an innocent person."

"She looked at me without fear, Julian!" I rise so fast the chair is knocked to the ground. "I threatened to kill her if she lied and she did it anyway. She wasn't afraid! She didn't even look away! How many reds do you know off that didn't beg for their life at the prospect of being executed?!"

"Then why didn't you?"

His question replaces every bit of anger I may have with astonishment.

"Why didn't I what?"

"Execute her?"

 _Because I couldn't._

"That doesn't have anything to do with this."

"It has everything to do with this." He slowly rises from the chair and comes close to the bed, too close. Before I know it my body puts itself between him and her and tenses as if getting ready for battle.

Julian stops on his tracks, evidently surprised.

"What's going on Cal?"

I don't answer, instead I pull the chair back up and sit. I can't look at him.

"I saw your face when you called Sara and I for help. You were terrified, why?"

 _Because she screamed and when I realized what I was doing every part of my being broke with the sound of her pain._

"What does this girl mean to you?"

My heart stops as his words resonate inside my head. I have seen her twice, spoke to her once and somehow she means something to me. When I saw her here I thought I was hallucinating and when she turned around she took my breath away, again. It doesn't make sense, this things I'm feeling do not make sense. My head tells me it's wrong but my instinct tell me it's right. One wants to get rid of her and the other wants to be close to her. It's overwhelming.

"I dont know," I answer with barely a string of voice. "I dont know."

I was expecting for him to be in a state of disbelief but the only thing I see in his eyes when I turn around is kindness. He's about to say something when three knocks on the door stop him. I clear my throat.

"Yes?"

"Your highness, his majesty sent me to inform you that you are late for the war council."

 _Shit._

"Tell him I'll be there in 5 minutes."

I start taking off my armor and make my way to the wardrobe. I take out my military uniform, no time to take a bath. While I change I remember who is at the other side of the door.

 _I can't leave her here alone._

"Julian!"

"Yes?"

I hop out trying to put the boot on.

"Stay with her, please?"

He nods and smiles lightly.

"Of course"

I go hurriedly to the door but I stop in front of it. I look back, the sun is bathing the uncovered skin of her arms and it looks… perfect.

 _Not because of you._

Guilt comes back the same way it did before.

I hurt her. What's stopping me from doing it again?

"Cal?"

"Huh?"

Julian has made himself comfortable on the chair I was sitting.

"It's time to go."

My gaze naturally goes back to where she sleeps.

I know I will see her again, which is why I can't let myself lose control again, but in the case I did lose it she needs to be protected from me.

My eyes travel the room, searching for something that would give me the answer I need. They stop on the table where the butterfly rests.

"Give her back the necklace when she wakes up and bring Sara Skonos tomorrow after dinner, I have an idea," I say all of this without making an attempt to leave.

"Cal?"

"Mmm?"

He motions for me to be on my way.

"Right."

I get the impulse to see her again and it takes all my strength to ignore it and leave because if I had I would have stayed.

And nothing would have been able to stop me.


	6. Chapter 6

**Zayra**

I try to open my eyes but they slam shut after the sunrays hit them. I don't try to open them a second time, instead I roll in the most comfortable thing I have ever touched. It's so soft and smooth and it has a smell that makes my nose tingle, where have I smelled that before?

It is harder to ignore the sun as it becomes more insistent, why can't it just stay out of my…? Wait, why am I sleeping during the day?

I force my eyes to open and as before light hits them. I get used slowly to the lighting and find myself staring at a white carved ceiling. Where am I?

Something creaks at my left side. I turn to find where the sound came from and… a man!

I push myself away from him and end up falling to the floor.

"Ouch!"

 _What the…?_

I notice the walls covered in armor and everything that happened comes back. Me working in the princes room, the prince arriving, the interrogation, the memories, the pain being washed away, a man, the same man that was looking at me right now, telling me to sleep…and me obeying him. Realization punches me hard.

 _Oh no._

A singer.

 _No no no no no._

There are only two people in this castle that could find out my secret and one of them is in this room with me.

 _What is he doing here?! What am I doing here?! This is bad. This is really bad._

"Are you alright or do I need to call a healer?"

I freeze. Did he just ask if I was all right?

 _Well he wasn't asking himself, dumbass._

"I'm all right," my voice comes out a little husky from what I suppose were hours of sleep.

"You don't have to be scared, I'm not going to hurt you."

 _Hurt._

A light pinch of pain crosses my heart, barely anything, but it makes me bring my attention to my arms. Someone took off my jacket, which left my eyes with a clear view of perfectly smooth skin that should be covered in scars. The torture was over but just like the moment I thought we had shared I could still feel his touch, only this time its warmthwasn't consoling me, it was destroying me.

I was getting distracted because of his smell, his room, and he was going to burn me alive. I don't even know what I was thinking. I shouldn't have let myself get carried away by fantasies and feelings that I can't even understand.

 _What is wrong with me?_

I abruptly stand up, balling my hands into fists. He hasn't moved an inch.

"I'm not scared, Lord Jacos," I say firmly, my anger filtering in my voice.

He doesn't react in any way to my statement, he just remains silent. I take this time to finally put a face to the last living member of house Jacos. He never appeared in public events and while I did my job I never came in contact with him. I've heard that he is kind and he does seem like it, chestnut hair with grey streaks, old-stained yellow robes and brown eyes, no rough edges or a threatening presence, just a simple man. Yet looks are deceiving. I already let my guard down with the prince and it was a mistake, I'm not going to be stupid enough to do the same thing with his uncle.

He chuckles.

"Now I know what he meant."

My nails dig in my hands. The pulse is restless after I refused to release it but just like before I do not to indulge it.

 _Control._

"Would you like me to leave and come back later, my lord?" I change the subject and tone abruptly. I have no intention of speaking with silvers anymore. I just want to go.

"No, please. You must be really busy, don't let my presence get in your way."

I don't look at him again after that, I work as fast as I can. I'm done in less than fifteen minutes. I retrieve my equipment and heading towards the door when I see it. Sitting on the table is the black leather chain that attaches to the butterfly with a simple knot.

Silent stone.

My silent stone.

"Take it," Jacos says.

I turn to look at the singer who's still relaxed in the chair. I don't trust him. He knows what it is and he is handing it back to me? Something doesnt feel right about it.

"Why?"

"My nephew insisted that you have it."

I tense up noticeably and I curse myself for it. The intentions behind this seemingly generous action seem pretty clear now. Silvers never do anything without a purpose and there is no purpose on giving me the necklace. The prince is toying with me, wanting to give me hope when I know there is none left.

If I don't take it, it will look as if I'm getting rid of it, they will realize I know what it is if theydon't know it already. If I do take it then he will have one of the sentinels find it or he will do it himself in a public space and then he will have an excuse to kill me.

 _He doesn't need and excuse to kill you and if he wanted you dead he wouldn't have healed your wounds and put you in his bed._

I push this thoughts deep inside my mind because what they're saying is wrong. He is a silver, if anything he healed me so he could enjoy killing me later. He will do it when he gets the chance but at least I'll get to decide where.

"Keep it."

With that I leave the room without turning back, each step gets harder than the one before. I'm leaving behind the last thing my mother touched and it puts a weight in my heart, I would have wanted to have it one last time. One of the cleaning sprays drops from the bucket, I pick it up and…

I'm an idiot. I forgot my damn shoes.

"Sing me a song," Lisa said for the millionth time.

"No."

The fever is clearly making her delusional. A wailing donkey is more pleasurable than hearing me sing.

"I allowed you to use my shoes today and my jacket. How did you lose yours anyway?"

I almost flinch with the question and I dismiss it quickly. I don't want her to see my torment.

"I don't know and it wasn't like you were going to use them anyway."

We speak in hushed voices. All the people that were sick were moved to isolated rooms in an attempt to not spread the disease. I only came to visit to make sure she was all right but now she's been insisting for more than an hour and I don't want to wake the other ten people that are sleeping around us.

"Still, I need something in return."

"Lisa, it's the middle of the night. You need to rest."

"I won't unless you sing me a song."

 _This girl is going to kill me._

"I only know one song and it is not appropriate to…"

"Sing."

I sigh and I look around. I hope no one listens. Lisa's eyes are eager and I close mine to concentrate. The words form in my mind and thats when I begin to sing.

 _I walk through the valley of the shadow of death_

 _And I'll fear no evil because I'm blind to it all_

 _And my mind and my gun they comfort me_

 _Because I know I'll kill my enemies when they come_

 _Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life_

 _And I will dwell on this earth forevermore_

 _Still I walk beside the still waters and they restore my soul_

 _But I can't walk on the path of the right because I'm wrong_

 _Well I came upon a man at the top of a hill_

 _Called himself the savior of the human race_

 _Said he come to save the world from destruction and pain_

 _But I said how can you save the world from itself_

 _'Cause I walk through the valley of the shadow of death_

 _And I'll fear no evil 'cause I'm blind_

 _And I walk beside the still waters and they restore my soul_

 _But I know when I die my soul is damned_

Silence reigns over the room after I'm done and I let out a small chuckle. Singing the melody grandfather taught me gets me in a good mood. Even though the song is not a warm one, it was one he always liked.

When I open my eyes I expect to see Lisa grinning at me but she's shaking, her eyes wide with fear staring behind me, at the door.

I turn around slowly and when I see what she sees I can't move.

We are all going to die.


	7. Chapter 7

**Cal**

When I was still a boy father had Rane Arven train me personally. He taught me how to predict my opponent's movements and the importance of learning how to fight without my fire. My ability is as developed as it is right now because of him. Since those days a few of the lessons have been forgotten but there is one that he made sure would stay in my head until my death.

 _"Look into their eyes until you can see their fear, then you can finish them, not before."_

I have seen my fare share of fear through out the years, from reds in trenches to silvers in combat, people on the streets and lords and ladies in court. Many tried to hide it yet I could always see it. It has been in almost every person's eyes since I was twelve years old but not in hers.

Zayra Lowell, a servant, a red, didn't fear me. Not when I almost end her life and not now. Somehow knowing that makes me feel happy, to no avail. No matter how good it makes me feel it also makes me mistrust. Her demeanor and the silent stone I carried in my pocket proved right a part of my theory. Someone may not have sent her but she has received some kind of training. Not to deceive, I could see that now, but for something else. Something I have yet to figure out.

Her stare shifts from me to Sara and I can see her body tense up. The sound of a light cough brings my attention to a small figure hiding behind her. Now I see whom she was singing to. A young girl, I calculate four years younger than me. She too has her gaze on Sara but her reaction is the exact opposite from Zayra's. She goes from trembling limbs to having a spark in her eyes that could only be of hope, an interesting reaction that is cut short when Zayra intentionally blocks my view. She is watching me again with a warning palpable in her eyes.

 _Don't come any closer._

 _I won't but she has to leave the room. There are still questions I need to ask her, alone._

"Leave," I say.

She doesn't obey. Just like when I interrogated her, her eyes have darkened. I can predict what she's going to do next from the way she positions herself in front of the girl. Still crouched, yet getting ready to jump towards us.

 _Don't try it._

Thankfully she doesn't get the chance. The ill girl has guessed what she was going to do and has quickly taken her hand. She comes to a sitting position and whispers something in her ear that I can't hear, it makes her body relax noticeably, though not completely. She is still on guard but is confident enough to turn her back and instruct the girl to lie on her back again. She leaves a lasting kiss on her forehead, almost as if she was saying goodbye, and stands. When she passes by my side a scent of lavender reaches me, it is a delicate smell that I instantly come to like. I allow my eyes to follow her figure as she walks through the hallway and makes a turn to the right. I turn slightly to Sara without taking my attention off the corner where she disappeared.

 _"You know what to do."_

I start walking following the path she took. When I turn the corner I find another corridor full of doors on either side. Only one of them is open. I reach the room and I am a bit surprised of what is before me. I was expecting something a bit more elaborate since this people work in the palace but there are only two beds and two small trunks below them. Nothing else. Not even a lantern for the darkness the night brings. Only a small window allows the moonlight to illuminate the room and it is directed right at her. It seems light follows her everywhere she goes.

 _"Close the door, your highness."_

I'm taken aback by her statement, I don't know how she keeps doing that. I perfected my walk so that it'd be almost inaudible yet she seems to know I'm there every time I walk into a room. I close the door gently and when the soft click is heard she turns around. She's wearing grey pants and a long sleeved white shirt that left a part ofher abdomen visibleThe thoughts that start forming in my mind from just looking at that small portion of skin are the same as when I first saw her, only this time they are stronger. I quickly pull my eyes away to focus on her face.

"I'm not going to beg. Just do what you came here to do."

My heart skips a bit in my chest.

"What do you think I came here for?"

She responds without hesitation.

"You came to kill me."

I swallow, hard. The mere idea of hurting her again repulses me but the calmness in which she said the words makes my stomach turn. _Something has changed. Yesterday she fought for her life. Today she is giving herself up._

"You are less volatile than what you first had me believe."

She scoffs and says, "Well you weren't precisely a sweetheart either."

I would have laughed at her informality if I wasn't still a bit sick from her previous comment. She sighs and bows her head lightly when I don't respond to the remark.

"Forgive me, your highness. I'm just not particularly fond of burners."

As those words leave her lips a flash of something darker than anger takes hold of her eyes, it is gone before I can decipher what it is. It confuses me at first but then I remember where she's from.

Piedmont is not known for its kindness. I saw first hand their fighting pits when I went on a diplomatic visit. They didn't make silvers fightone another, that misfortune was reserved for reds. They made them tear each other to shreds with their own hands only for their amusement. In the end if the match wasn't of the silvers liking the red that won was executed on sight. It is a bloodbath, plain and simple.

 _If she says her family didn't come with her and she doesn't like burners then I can only guess what happened._

"Your family was burned, weren't they?"

She flinches. We are submerged in a tense bubble of silence, her breathing has quickened its pace and the sense of guilt I felt since I lost control crushes me with more force than ever before. _I almost kill her the same way her family died._

 _Get it together. There is no room for emotion_ _in this moment._

I clear my throat and reach for my pocket, taking out the necklace. It dangles in the air for her to see.

"You know what this is," I say calmly.

She left it behind. If she had taken it, it would have meant she didn't know what it was but she left it. She was worried someone else would find it.

Her shoulders slump forward and she lowers her gaze. She nods but says nothing.

"Where did you find it?"

I can see the hesitation in her eyes when she looks at me again. I don't pressure for her to answer immediately, I let her take her time and wait until she finally speaks.

"I didn't find it, it is an heirloom."

 _An heirloom? But that would mean…_

My limbs lock in their place with no chance of moving as the true meaning of the stone dawns on me. The reason she knew about it and why she was carrying it became obvious.

"My great-grandfather was silver."

I search in her body any sign of deceit. A twitching hand, trembling eyes, anything that will tell me she is lying but I find nothing. She is telling the truth and part of me wished she wasn't. If she was lying then I would be able to ignore the thoughts and the need I have of feeling her skin. Then the blame of what I did wouldn't feel this heavy in my chest. _I am stupid, so stupid._

A silver gave the stone to his red lover for protection and it was passed on to the next generations as a blessing. It is something special to her and that's why she kept it.

 _It explains everything. She came here looking for a second chance and all Ive done is brought her pain instead._

There is no place for me here, there's only one thing left for me to do. I approach her slowly, she doesn't move back. When I am close enough to do what I've set myself to do I stop. My hand finds its way to hers and she breathes in sharply. Don't worry. I deposit the necklace in her palm and head towards the door. The only thought that is clear in my head is that I am poison. _I won't look for her again. I will keep my distance and keep my troubled feelings to myself. It is the least I owe her._

I have my hand on the door handle when her voice stops me.

"Why?"

I turn just enough so I can see her face.She doesn't hide her confusion.

 _Why are you letting me live?_

The answer to her question is one I have clear but not one I will say out loud. Saying words such as _I can't hurt you_ are not ones that would be welcomed.

"I am sorry for what I did to you," is the last thing I say before I leave.


	8. Chapter 8

**Zayra**

When I looked out through the window it still marveled me how everything could morph so quickly. Back home it wasn't like this. Winters and summers passed with the land and sky unchanged. Here life bloomed in spring and began to decay in autumn, trees went from flowers of extravagant colors to being completely bear and the soil once ruled by everlasting green was now covered in a coat of white. Such changes excited me so much I just had to stand still a few minutes to admire their beauty. _Meira would have loved to see this._ I smile at the thought. For once thinking about my sister doesn't bring a wave of pain. I'm sure she would have started painting the scene right away. A pressure on my back interrupts my thoughts, I turn my head and find Cass scrubbing my jacket vigorously with her sponge. _What the heck?_

"What are you doing? It's new."

She stops and looks at me with a strait face.

"Oh I'm just doing my job, you?"

"Enjoying the view, and your job is to clean furniture not people."

"You might as well be furniture since you're not moving at all."

She sprays water on my face and runs off giggling. Half way to the door she stumbles with her own foot and falls flat on her face. I burst out laughing. Sam just shakes his head, looking at an irritated Cass who's cussing at the air.

"I think you just got a visit from karma," he says while finishing up the room, his lips curling upwards in the tiniest of smirks.

"Shut up, karma is not a real thing."

"Whatever you say."

"Ugh…" Cass rolls her eyes and gets on her feet.

I'm still laughing discretely when I gather my stuff to get moving to the next room. It dies down completely when we are all in the hallway, though. Noise is not tolerated, at least none that comes from us.

We continue cleaning the exaggerated amount of sitting rooms that are in the palace for at least another hour until it is time for us to wait outside the training room. Guards are practicing inside and the minute they are out the door we have to clean the disaster they left behind. It has been the hardest thing to bear lately. I don't carry the necklace with me anymore, if it came off once it can definitely come off a second time, I can't afford that, but I am afraid that the lethal side of my power is the one that responds with what I know will be inside. A multitude of steps is heard and the door swings open, the smell that comes out of it awakens my ability. I squeeze the bucket in my hands until my knuckles turn white and my palms sting. Silvers hurry out of the room and when none of them is left I step in. The scent of blood is in the air. As I walk deeper inside it my limbs vibrate with satisfaction. There is no heat in my chest, only warmth. My muscles automatically relax with the feeling and I am relieved. This is not the dark curse Bones taught me to invoke, this is the gentle flow grandfather helped me understand. I let it relish in my surroundings while I begin to mop the floor. _You could make it dance instead of moping it._ I don't even consider the thought but that doesn't mean I don't want to. When blood is not inside a body it feels different, it is not confided by anything and it doesn't belong to anyone anymore. A chance to feel the thrill and freedom of my power without having to hurt anyone was a temptation that made my skin itch from how badly I wanted it. It was so close and yet so far away. With every minute I spend moping the floor, the smell subsides and the vibrations lose strength until they are just a tingle in my fingers. Sam and Cass finish soon after I do and we leave the room in time for the next group of guards that come marching through the hall. We put our backs against the wall and look at our feet when they approach to where we are. I look up out of curiosity for a second and I wished I hadn't. Many guards stare at me while they pass. The emotion I see in their eyes is one I recognize, it takes me back to memories I do not want to remember. The group enters the training room closing the door behind them. Cass and Sam hurry through the corridor and I can barely keep up. When a silver looked at a red their reaction would be of indifference or disgust most of the time. The way those guards stared at me was the same way I stared at their people three years ago. Back when hatred and emptiness where the only things that dwelled inside me. When silver's begged on their knees for my mercy and in return I'd paint the walls with their pride and glory, my blessing, their doom.

§

It is finally over. The tray of salmon I carry was the last one in the dinning hall, I can't wait to go to bed and have some sleep. Lisa must be asleep by now, she was exhausted when she barged into our room so I told her she should rest and I would serve dinner in her place. It was a calm evening. The queen and young prince were the only ones at the table tonight. I had felt a pang of disappointment at this fact and I refused to wonder why.

Only a few more corridors until I'm in the kitchen, then I can just leave this with the cooks and excuse myself.

"Red!"

The commanding voice of a woman stops me in my tracks and makes me turn, dropping my eyes immediately. I can see from my peripheral vision her armor, black and red. A sentinel.

"Wine to the king's room, now!"

 _Are you kidding me?_

I bow and with heavy steps make the rest of the way to the kitchen. The odds that I would be the one who they'd ask to deliver the wine were so ridiculously low I didn't even think about it. This certainly is annoying but the bright side is that this particular task doesn't take long. We were instructed that whenever wine was needed we left it in the center table of the sitting room and left as soon as possible. I will be out of there in less than a minute. When I arrive at the kitchen the cooks are cleaning what they used to serve dinner and disposing of the food that was not consumed. I leave the tray in a countertop and address a guy who's cleaning a stove.

"The king has asked for wine," I say.

The guy stops what he's doing and quickly moves to the cellar, he brings back a dark red colored wine and hands it to me carefully before going back to the stove. I leave the kitchens and make my way to the other side of the palace to the royal wing. Four sentinels stand in front of the door to the king's chambers. We were never allowed inside without clearance from them first. The sentinels allow me entry when they see the wine I hold. The first thing I notice is that the balcony door is open, letting the cold winter air in. When I notice the rest I curse the sentinel who made me bring the wine. The scene around me doesn't bring me a good feeling. I could guess the mood of the king by the state the room was in and I can tell today must have been a rough day for him. The bottles that were normally intact and scattered all over the room are shattered, along with a few of the vases and all the furniture. There is no more center table, no place to put the wine except the one space the king prohibited anyone from touching. My foot taps on the floor while I think of what to do. There shouldn't be a problem if I don't move anything, I think. So with doubt still in my mind I slowly approach it, the altar as we called it in my unit. A desk, the sides and legs decorated with carved roses, on the top three pictures and a golden crown with encrusted rubies. A painting hung on the wall of said desk. It was one of his first wife, Coriane Jacos. She wore a sleeveless dress in the colors of her house, adorned with a ruby necklace and a diamond ring on her left hand. Her hair was made into a low bun and a crown, the same one that was on the desk, sat at the top of her head. She didn't look at all like the current queen. The blue eyes of the whisper ruler were cold and hard, while Coriane's eradiated a kindness just like the one her brother was recognized for. That emotion could be felt also in the pictures. The one in the far left was of their wedding, the king and her laughing in each other's arms. In the center she stood on a bridge looking out into the sea, her chin resting in her hands and a smile brighter than the sun illuminating her face. The last one was of her on a bed, holding and smiling at a newborn child, her only son, Tiberias.

A heavy sigh leaves my lips. It has barely been two months but they have felt like an eternity. My astonishment had come to pass but I could not forget what happened. A silver prince healed reds without doing it as mere show. When they all woke up they called it a miracle but I knew the truth, Lisa did as well. She had seen the blonde woman before when she served meals around the palace. _The tongue less woman_ was what she whispered in my ear and I understood it immediately. The disgraced healer of House Skonos, a noble that dared to raise her voice against the queen and ended up not being able to speak. I thought she was the torturer from house Gliacon when she entered the room, I thought the prince was going to make them suffer before the end but I was wrong. He didn´t go down to kill them, he went down to save them.

 _He burned you,_ the dark whispers remind me. I know he did, and I should hate him for it, but no matter how many times I tried, I couldn't.

I know why. It has nothing to do with what he did for the staff or for letting me live. It is all because of that strange sensation in the pit of my stomach every time I think about him. It didn't take away the fact that what he did was unforgivable but it did remind me that there are far worse deaths than the one that awaited me by his hand. Like a death delivered by a man with empty green eyes and a sinister smile.

I breathe in and out pushing the memory away and hurrying up so I can go get some rest. I raise the wine to put it carefully at the top of the desk when the temperature changes drastically. Waves of heat make my hands sweat and I hold the bottle tighter. _Please don't tell me…_

Glass collides with the ground making me jump. I distance myself from the altar, every muscle in my body is screaming for me to get out but I can't...not without permission. I don't move when I hear the heavy steps coming my way. Thirty seconds is what it takes the king to come close. The stench of alcohol warns me of the state he is in.

"Kneel," he commands in a low growl.

I freeze for half a second but quickly turn and kneel before him. The king´s mood is volatile in this moment. He already caught me getting near the altar. One wrong move and I'm done. I hold up the wine and he snatches it out of my hands. I have no clue how he takes out the cork but I hear it bouncing somewhere in the room. The sound of him gulping the crimson liquid fills the silence in the room until it stops. I know he is looking at me, I can feel it.

"The ponytail. Take it off."

I let my hair down, confused of why he wants me to do this, and wait. I can't understand until I feel the tug on my head. It is not aggressive, and yet it leaves me mortified. The king is touching my hair. With the bottle he pushes my chin up, almost as if he was disgusted of actually touching me, and studies my face with bloodshot eyes. I divert my gaze to the ground, the king growls at my action.

"Look at me, red!"

I don't want to but I must obey. My eyes meet the king's and I watch how they slowly harden and blaze more and more.

"What a singular beauty you have," he says.

The grip his fist has on my hair tightens. He looks at me with eyes full of hate, just like the guards did this afternoon. _What did I do? Why do they look at me like this?_!

My answer comes when he speaks once again.

"It´s a shame it is ruined by your blood. You are a red rat wearing a silver's flesh."

He spits the words. His eyes are hysterical now. He is about to lose it when a strong husk of wind knocks something down. His attention diverts in the direction of the desk, he lets go of my hair abruptly and goes hurriedly to it. One of the pictures was knocked down. He puts it back in its place and stays there looking at it, the muscles on his back slowly relax. Three seconds later he dismisses me with a wave of his hand and I don't waste the chance. I run to the door, everything is a blur. The only thing that is clear is that I keep running, in the hallways and the main lobby, until I reach my room. I sit on my bed and my hands are shaking. I try to swallow but there's a knot in my throat so tight I can barely breathe. _By the gods._ They all want to skin me alive because I look like one of them. The repulsion I feel towards this realization makes me want to do the work for them. Giving myself a few more scars wouldn't be as bad as the stares. I shake my head frantically at the stupid thought.

 _What the fuck am I thinking? I'm not going to do that._

My hair… my hair is the problem. The red always brought attention even when I was a child. It is what makes them notice everything else in the first place. _Just hide the hair and everything will be solved._ My hands become fists when my mind sets on going back to the place where I got the first wig. I didn't want to go back so soon, but I have no other choice now.

I take off my shoes and lie in bed with my uniform still on. I pull the blankets up. There is no escape from the cold or the king's words that repeat themselves over and over in my head.

 _You are a red rat wearing a silver's flesh. You are a red rat wearing a silver's flesh. You are a red rat wearing a silver's flesh._


End file.
